Day Off
by NoahRoanSeville
Summary: Another adventure for Hanzo Shiru and friends.


It was a normal day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Hanzo Shiru woke up, had his usual breakfast of bacon, a glass of milk, and a banana, put on his headband, said good-bye to his folks, and made his way to the training field to meet up with his fellow teammates Kyoto Tara and Uzumaki Naruto. "Kakashi-Sensei better get us a good mission. I'm seriously pumped!" the young ninja thought to himself.

As usual, Shiru heard his friends before they saw him. Shiru always kept his headband over his eyes to hide his cat-like green eyes, a side effect of being the jinchūriki of the 4-Tailed Jaguar Sprit. Shiru often had conversations with the spirit, but he never had to use the power of the jaguar. He was only a Genin, after all. He didn't do anything too dangerous.

"Man, when the heck is Shiru gonna get here? I'm bored out of my mind!" Naruto complained. Shiru smiled as he snuck up behind the prankster. Tara, Shiru's best friend, smiled knowingly.

"I think he's closer than you think." She said.

"BELIEVE IT!" Shiru yelled, scaring Naruto and causing him to jump high into a tree.

"Jeez, Shiru, don't do that! You scared me half to death! You want me to go 9-Tails on you?" Naruto gasped.

"Uzumaki, you won't go 9-Tails just because a teammate snuck up on you." Kakashi assured Naruto as he made his appearance.

"Whatever you say, Kakashi-Sensei. So, what're we doing today?" Naruto asked, jumping down from the tree.

"You three have been working pretty hard since you graduated. I think you deserve a day off. Just keep out of trouble and try to find your Jutsu." Kakashi instructed. Before the three students could utter another word, Kakashi vanished.

"If Kakashi-Sensei wants us to relax, I won't contradict him. You guys up for some Ramen on me?" Shiru offered. Normally, Naruto's eyes would've lit up at the mention of Ramen. But this time, he just shook his head.

"I gotta train. I wanna be Hokage someday and I can't do that by eating Ramen. How about you spar with me, Shiru, before you go? I'll go easy on you." The prankster smiled. Shiru, who could never turn down a challenge, laughed.

"You're on, Uzumaki. I've been experimenting with a new Jutsu. I just needed a monkey to test it on. Guess a fox will do." He taunted, taking a stance. Naruto growled in anger.

"You're gonna get it, Hanzo!" he shouted, rushing towards Shiru. But Shiru anticipated the move. He could feel Naruto's footsteps. Quick, but not quick enough. Shiru made a fist with one hand and pointed two fingers upward with the other, the first sign of his experimental "Light-Style" Jutsu.

"Heaven's Light Jutsu!" he exclaimed. Suddenly, Shiru began to glow with harsh white light. It was so bright that Naruto, blinded, tripped and fell to the ground. Before the prankster could move another inch, Shiru rushed over and jabbed Naruto in the back.

"Light Paralysis Jutsu! Now you can't move until the sun goes down. I win, Uzumaki. See ya later." He smirked. As Naruto cursed, Shiru walked over to Tara, who was trying hard not to laugh.

"How about some Ramen to celebrate, Tara?" he suggested. Tara nodded.

Later, at Ichiraku Ramen, the best Ramen joint in the village, Tara and Shiru ate in silence, savoring the delectable Ramen flavor. Then, Tara spoke.

"Ya know, we actually first met here, remember?"

Shiru smiled. "I could never forget. Waaaaay back when we first started at the Academy, all the kids hassled me because of this." He remembered, gesturing to his headband, "All except for one very friendly, very defensive kunoichi."

Tara blushed. "I just thought it was unfair that everyone was hassling a kid just because he couldn't see. Though, to be honest, I didn't buy that you were blind. Not for a second! You're far too coordinated." She commented.

Shiru chuckled. "And you're too smart. I'm glad you're on our side. Imagine if you wear from the Sand Village, or, Hokage forbid, the Sound Village." Tara and Shiru laughed for a moment, but then Tara got quiet.

"Hey, Shiru, can I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure, Tara. What's up?" Shiru replied.

"Could you... um... take off your headband? I want to see your eyes."

"My eyes? Really? You know that they're not normal." Shiru replied, a little surprised.

"I just... I think that they're handsome." Tara admitted, blushing.

"Hmm..." Shiru placed his hand on the ground, feeling the vibrations of the earth. "Not too many people around. Well... alright, I guess there's no harm." He relented. Shiru reached up and undid his headband. As he looked at Tara, he noticed how the sunlight brightened her already bright red hair. Her eyes were beautiful and brown like smooth teakwood. Just like that, Shiru began to fall in love with his best friend.

"His eyes are just so... amazing." Tara thought, looking into Shiru's grass-green jaguar's eyes. She could stare into those eyes forever. Tara had secretly loved Shiru since they met. He was so brave, so strong, and he was as dedicated a ninja as Tara had ever seen. Tara wished she could tell Shiru how she felt, but she didn't want to lose his friendship.

"What's the big deal? I like her, she's my best friend, so why can't I tell her?" Shiru thought angrily. Unfortunately, before either of them could get a word out, Tara's little brother Kanta burst in. Shiru quickly re-donned his headband.

"Tara, its time to come home now." He said.

"Kanta, how did you know I was here?" Tara asked.

"Naruto came limping into the village. I asked him where you were, and he said you were probably here with Shiru." Kanta explained. Tara turned to Shiru.

"I'm really sorry, Shiru. See you tomorrow for training?"

Shiru smiled. "Count on it, Tara."

As Tara and her brother left, Shiru made a promise.

"Someday soon, I'll tell Tara how I feel."


End file.
